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Lawrie hits DL as Blue Jays recall Gose, Pillar

6/22/14: Brett Lawrie is hit on the hand by a Johnny Cueto pitch, and leaves the game with a fractured finger before the next half inning

By Chris Toman
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Special to MLB.com |

TORONTO -- The Blue Jays expect to be without third baseman Brett Lawrie for three to six weeks.

Lawrie, who fractured his right index finger after getting hit by a pitch from Reds starter Johnny Cueto in Toronto's 4-3 loss to Cincinnati on Sunday, was placed on the 15-day disabled list Monday.

"The doctors will check him out, and we'll get a little better idea on that," manager John Gibbons said of Lawrie's timeline.

Sunday marked the third time in eight days that Lawrie was hit by a pitch, but the latest incident proved to be the most costly.

Lawrie has been a key player for Toronto on both sides of the diamond, playing stellar defense at both second and third base, while his bat has turned a major corner since an early-season funk. Despite an overall hitting line of .244/.299/.419, Lawrie has smacked a career-high 12 homers and has seen much better results at the plate since struggling through the first month of the season.

The 24-year-old is hitting .277/.333/.440 since May 1.

"He's having a great year, offensively he has been clutch for us all year," Gibbons said of Lawrie, who is hitting .323/.370/.615 with runners in scoring position. "He brings an energy, too. He livens things up. Not only his play on the field, we'll miss some of that, and his toughness.

"Brett is a tough guy to replace, he really is."

With Lawrie out, Munenori Kawasaki and Steve Tolleson are likely to platoon at second base, while Juan Francisco spends the majority of the time at third. Gibbons also said that Tolleson could be in the mix for playing time at the hot corner, as well.

Placing Lawrie on the DL wasn't the only move the Blue Jays made Monday. The club recalled outfielders Anthony Gose and Kevin Pillar from Triple-A Buffalo, and optioned catcher Erik Kratz to the Bisons.

Kratz, who was serving as the third catcher on the roster in addition to starter Dioner Navarro and Josh Thole, appeared in 30 games with the Blue Jays, batting .221 with three homers and 10 RBIs.

Gose and Pillar have combined to play in 59 games for Toronto this season. Entering play Monday, Gose had hit .233 with four extra-base hits and four RBIs, while Pillar had a .243 average with three extra-base hits. Pillar has hit much better over his 46 games with the Bisons, batting .326 with 25 RBIs and seven stolen bases.

Chris Toman is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.